A Girl's Best Friend
by Scouse
Summary: One Shot. Shannon finds out that diamonds aren’t the only best friend a girl can have and that a dog isn’t only restricted to his place at a man’s side.


**Title: A Girl's Best Friend**

**Author: Scouse**

**Summary: Shannon finds out that diamonds aren't the only best friend a girl can have and that a dog isn't only restricted to his place at a man's side.**

**Characters: Shannon, Vincent, Walt, mention of others. **

**Pairings: Hinted Shannon/Sayid.**

**Rating: PG**

**Author's Note: This is my very first ever Lost fic and since I live in the UK we haven't gotten very far into the series so you'll have to excuse any terrible mistakes that I make in this. I'm hoping it's not too bad but it's just an idea for a one-shot that hit me and wouldn't go away until I'd penned it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of it. Would I really be writing fanfic if I did? Nope! I'd be cavorting on a beach with the cast!**

**-o0o-**

**A Girl's Best Friend. **

The sun blazed as it did everyday. As it _had_ every day since their plane, the ill-fated flight 815, had tumbled to it's death upon the white sandy beaches below.

It was ironic really. People paid thousands upon thousands of dollars to holiday for a spattering of a few measly days in places such as they had found themselves stranded and yet the island that had become their home and their prison cell was hated by them all. Every single one of them.

The fiery glare had reached it's zenith and she lay upon her stomach beneath it's scorching rays, golden blond locks tied into a knot atop her head so that the tan on her back wouldn't stop where her hair had fallen. She waved a foot languidly about in the air behind her, swaying it ever so slightly in time with the lapping of the waves as she turned the pages of the dog-eared magazine that she had rescued from the wreckage of the crash that seemed to have taken place so long ago.

There really wasn't much else that she could do during the days there, now that Sayid no longer needed her help to translate the crazy French woman's papers and while her brother went gallivanting around with that Locke guy, playing the Great Hunter. She didn't even know what they _did_ all day in the blistering heat, trampling through the muggy jungle. She could barely even keep her eyes open and trained upon the page of that year's most fashionable handbags below her, let alone spend the entire day scuttling around doing _God_ only knew what to returning in the evening too tired to give her any meaningful conversation and keep her entertained, too filthy to hold her interest for any longer than it took to hurl a comment about his bodily odour at him and scoot away to the other side of the fire.

Once again she was very much alone in that idyllic setting that she would have once upon a time killed to be in. Well, perhaps not kill. Maim. She would have most definitely maimed someone to come to such a place for her summer holidays or a winter retreat.

Shannon gave a soft snort of amusement to herself and rested her head on her folded arms, closing her eyes against the dazzle of bright sunlight upon the white pages. Dots of brilliance imprinted on her retina swam in the middle of the darkness as she lay there trying desperately to make certain that her thoughts were for once blank as she drifted somewhere between consciousness and sleep.

If Boone and Sayid no longer had any need for her, she would just forget about the pair of them and work on her tan!

**-o0o-**

She didn't know how long she had slept for. Perhaps a few boring, pointless hours or maybe merely a few minutes but a cool shadow fell across her, causing her to shift in her lazy semi-sleep and turn her face away from the intrusion.

"Back so early from your little hunter-gatherer lessons?" she asked in a sweet voice barbed with sarcasm. "What? Did that Locke guy get tired of you following him around like a little lost sheep?"

He didn't answer her, just stood where he was, his shadow cooling across her heated back as the seconds ticked by into minutes.

She huffed finally, sand fluttering away in the light breeze of her breath and her well-shaped eyebrows drew together in a scowl of frustration.

"Damn it, Boone! Would you get out of my sun?" she demanded, closing her eyes a little tighter together.

He was breathing heavily. As if he had just run the length and breadth of the island without stopping and without water. If he wanted sympathy for the torture that he was inflicting upon himself daily then he was in for a long wait! Shannon's sympathy was hard won and rarely, if ever, given out for anything less than a major quandary. Something like…showing up to a party to find out that you were wearing the exact same outfit as someone else. Now _that _predicament commanded sympathy!

"Fine! If you're just going to _stand _there feeling _sorry _for yourself, you might as well make yourself useful. I'm out of water." she fumbled for her empty water bottle, eyes still closed and held it up to where she estimated that her brother was standing. "_Hello_! I asked you to get me some water!" she shook the plastic bottle at him a few times, just to make sure that he got the picture and still it met with empty air. "Jesus! I hope your not waiting for a please!" she scoffed, irately, pushing herself onto her elbows and rolling onto her side so that she could squint up at Boone and see just what in the Hell he was playing at standing there and ignoring her.

A hot, long, wet tongue traversed her entire face, from chin to hairline followed by a deep, almost gleeful, woof.

"Eww!" Shannon spluttered for air, sitting up so fast that her head swam with dizziness, and scrubbed at her lips to remove the taste of dog saliva.

The dog barked again, his thick tail swishing back and forth excitedly as Shannon glared at him.

"That was _so_ gross! Get away from me, mutt!" she flicked her hand to shoo him away but he bounded around her playfully, his slobbery tongue darting out to lick her cheek again.

That time she squealed in disgust and pulled herself backwards and away from the prancing yellow Labrador only serving to excite him further.

"Don't you dare!" she warned shaking her finger at him as a mother might scold her child. "Don't even!"

He ignored her entirely, shoving his nose down into the soft sand and snorting around where she had been lying comfortably only seconds before. He rifled through her scarce few belongings, turfing them out of the way as he searched for something unseen and un-smelt by Shannon.

"No! Get off it!" she cried crawling forwards back towards him on her hands and knees, a loud tearing sound filling the near vicinity. "My magazine! Great! What the _Hell_ am I supposed to read now!"

The Lab glanced at her briefly, almost enquiringly, before cocking his leg.

"_ARGH_!" her scream was unintelligible, almost animalistic, as she lurched forwards and swiped at the thickset dog, stopping him before he had a chance to empty his bladder upon her things.

"Bad dog! _Bad dog_! _BAD DOG_!" she roared, face red, hair no longer strategically knotted upon her head, but streaming down her face in tousled waves.

That seemed to get his attention and automatically he lay down on his belly, head on his paws as he looked up at her in submission with deep, brown, soulful eyes.

She paused, wincing as she met his sorrowful gaze.

"Don't even look at me like that." she announced, turning her face away and folding her arms. "It's not gonna work, _Muttley_!"

Then she heard it. She cringed as she did, wishing for once in her life that she could suddenly be struck temporarily deaf. No one could resist that sound, her least of all. He began to whine. A pitiful crying sound that tugged at even the most cold of hearts. _Heck_ it was a sound that was enough to bring tears to _Sawyer's_ eyes!

Reluctantly she turned back to look down at the yellow furred dog, his ears back, his tail curled tightly beneath him.

"Oh, for God's sake, stop it already!" she sighed and smoothed her hand across his wide head.

Instantly his ears perked up and his tail resumed it's swooshing wag. He'd played her. A _dog_ had just played her for a fool!

"Alright, alright! Just don't get excited about it. I'm only patting you on the head, stupid!" Shannon announced and as if he understood her the dog remained lying upon his front, content to let her smooth the fur back on his brow as he moved his head to her lap. "And don't you _dare_ drool on me!" she added, though even to her own ears it sounded half hearted, a smile creeping onto her face and his dark eyes looked up at her trustingly.

Silence filled the moments as they sat there together and Shannon felt the smile on her lips growing slowly as the Labrador continued to gaze up into her face.

"You know…" she began quietly, rubbing at his ear. "I used to have a Labrador when I was a little girl." she grinned in memory. "A big black one, called Bruce. Brucy-boy." she glanced up and out at the churning surf before them as it lapped at the shore. The tide was on the out and many of the survivors were wandering along the length, inspecting what the sea had washed up and left on their 'doorstep'.

Shannon's hands made long even strokes from the Lab's head down his thick neck to his broad shoulders, a constant, comforting weight upon her lap. It felt nice, even if he was just a dog, to have someone with her instead of her solitary confinement that she suddenly found herself in once again. Most of it was due to her pride. She'd been snappy to the greater majority of her fellow survivors during the first few days, before the reality of what had happened kicked in…and before the hope of rescue had dwindled, and she was just too damn proud for her own good to walk up to them and apologise. Shannon Rutherford never apologised to anyone for anything!

"You remind me of him a little." she announced to the dozing dog suddenly, pushing her negative thoughts to another corner of her mind. "Sure, you're a yellow lab and he was a black one, but you're the same size as he used to be. You have the same shaped face and…" she paused to rub her thumb across the bridge of his nose and his deep eyes closed in bliss. "…the same eyes."

The Labrador let out a long sigh and Shannon chuckled as he rolled over onto his back, begging her to scratch his belly.

"I use to tell him everything. All my secrets. He would just sit there and listen to all my worries with his great big brown eyes looking up at me the way you do." she scratched gently at the dog's broad yellow-haired chest before moving to tickling his ribs. "I'd tell him all kinds of things. Like if one of the other girls pushed me over in the school playground, or which boy I had a crush on…He was always there to listen to me…like you are now." she paused, rubbing her fingers at his belly button and laughing as his back left leg started kicking in mid-air.

Slowly she stopped and pulled her hand away to rest with her other one upon her knee and the dog rolled back over and sat up facing her, searching her face almost as if he understood her need for a friend.

"You…" she paused, suddenly feeling a little silly that she was talking to a dog. "You don't mind if I tell you some things like I use to tell Brucy-boy…do you?"

The golden furred dog cocked his head to one side and Shannon smiled in reply, returning her hand to stroke his head again, touching lightly the soft, velvety fur of his muzzle.

"I wish my brother was here…well, mostly. I mean he's the only family I have left. He's the only one I really know in this place…but…he's never around anymore and even though I always tease him and make fun…I _do_ miss him."

The dog shifted closer to her, resting his large chin on her shoulder and allowing her to secure her arms about his neck the way she had always done with Brucy-boy.

Tears shimmered in her eyes, so close to falling and she rubbed her face into his sandy fur, not caring that she now smelt entirely of wet dog.

"I wish that Sayid had more papers for me to translate too. Not just because it's boring and lonely on this stupid beach all day…but because, he was the first person who has ever needed my help. He's the only one who has ever _liked_ me for _me _and not my name, or my connections, or my money, or my body…"

She let out a small giggle into his silky coat before pulling back to look him in the eyes again, rubbing at his ears again as he leaned forwards and gave her a consoling lick on her cheek which this time she didn't scrub away.

"That and also because I think he's really hot!" she grinned wolfishly at the hound sat in front of her. "But don't tell anyone I told you that or I'll have Jack castrate you!"

Again she laughed, more happy than she had been in a long while and suddenly the dog's head was up in the air, whipping every which way, looking for something.

Then she heard it. Faintly at first.

"Vincent!"

A child's voice. That kid…what was his name? Wesley? Warren?

"Walt?" she murmured mostly to herself as the boy came into view from between the palm trees.

He cupped both of his hands around his mouth and called out again.

"Vincent!"

He spotted Shannon sitting with the Lab, presumable Vincent, sat up close by her and for a split second she didn't know what to do. Then her mind clicked in to place.

"Shoo! Go on! Smelly mutt! Slobbering all over me!" she yelled and Walt broke into a run to reach them before she could do anything to his beloved pet.

"Vincent! C'mere boy!" he patted his leg and Vincent plodded over to him, licking at his little master's hand. "Sorry, lady. He slipped his collar again."

Shannon put on her best scowl.

"I noticed. He almost peed all over my stuff!" she snapped.

"I said I was sorry." Walt frowned, mumbling as he turned to leave. "C'mon Vincent, let's go."

Obediently Vincent followed at Walt's heel, trotting happily along, head and ears held high.

"Hey, Walt?" Shannon called after him suddenly and he glance over his shoulder at her.

"Yeah?"

She swallowed, unsure whether to keep up her stony façade around the people there. She glance down at the Labrador at the young boy's side and felt a pang in her heart for such friendship once more.

"His name is Vincent?" she asked, fidgeting with her ripped up magazine.

Walt nodded with a dubious raised eyebrow and Shannon swallowed.

"You think that…maybe…next time you need someone to watch him…that maybe it could be…me?" she winced waiting for the boy's refusal but instead he broke out into a beaming grin.

"Okay!" he enthused. "You like dogs too, huh?"

She smiled in reply.

"Just yours."

**-o0o-**

What do you reckon? Was it terrible? Please lemme know what you thought of that.


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